A snippet of happiness

我是否正返老还童？今天晚上，当我正在与友人网上聊天时，忽然听见楼下有铃声响。那不是卖雪糕的uncle吗？于是，我与友人暂别， 拿了钱，跑到了楼下。果然，他就站在他的车旁，在卖冰淇淋。好开心！买了一块芒果口味儿的，冲回家，吃着冷冰冰的雪糕，心中却是暖暖的。

小时候最喜欢就是听到卖雪糕的uncle 的铃声， 每当听见，或是看见他站在路旁售卖雪糕， 都很兴奋的跑过去买来吃。

有几个月都没碰到卖雪糕的uncle 来卖雪糕，这一次很幸运。不知道uncle 是不是知道我即将离开新加坡，会有一年吃不到这种雪糕，特地跑来？哈哈，我才没那大牌啦！

哎，人生中的小小快乐。

Thoughts of an Uncle....

Someone called me Uncle today. I was queueing up at the Ice Kacang stall, just like everyone else, wanting to buy a bowl of dessert, when the aunty suddenly looked in my direction and asked "Uncle, 你要吃什么？". I glanced around and realised, to my horror that the "Uncle" was me! I mean, hellooooo aunty, I so old meh? Can call 小弟 or 老板 right? "Uncle"! Anyway, decided to overlook that for the coveted bowl of dessert (not ice kacang, some rambutan-longan-fruit cocktail with ice --- aka canned fruit galore). Hmm! Uncle.....

Haiz, anyway, Uncle is going to fly off to meet Uncle Sam in less than a month's time! Help! I am honestly feeling anxious. Wonder if I will bring enough things? What if I forget something? How will my flights go? Will I be held up at the customs for any reason? Questions, questions, questions.... I am even planning my lunch and dinner on my day of arrival.... Am I going to settle for sandwiches? Have Chinese takeaway (no chop suey please!) ? Or shall I cook? But I have no rice cooker yet.... Maybe I should go shopping first? So much uncertainty.... much more daunting than going to army!

Uncle will begin taking leave very soon. Hope there is sufficient time to pack my luggage and also things at home. Got to start making a list of items to bring very soon.

Also desperately thinking of what CDs and songs to bring with me to the States. Not that I won't get to listen to radio there, but better get the songs all prepared. Or else how do I cope with a sudden urge for Pet Shop Boys? Or Fish Leong? Or Belle and Sebastian? I don't think I can handle hip hop or country everyday... Think I will tune in to Singapore radio stations frequently while I'm there. So crazy... go all the way to USA and listen to Singapore radio. But the thought of listening to sounds from home is so appealing.....

Hopefully these are just pre-departure jitters? Guess Uncle will settle down quickly there especially once term starts. Crossing my fingers.

Cleaning out my memories

I have been clearing my CDs. Cleared out at least 200 so far.... They will become history. Gone. Forever. Well, there's some kind of significance I guess. Feels like casting away a piece of my life history. These CDs have somewhat accompanied through good and bad times. But seriously I cannot listen to them any more. Decided to keep only those that I really want to. Still quite a lot actually. And I've only cleared about half of my CDs. Will leave the remainder for another day to clear.

I don't know, I'm just going to the States for a year, but somewhat I get this feeling that I need to rearrange my life and leave little trace of my existence when I depart next month. Honestly, after all, what I need to bring with me, I'll bring. What I do not bring, I probably will never need it even when I'm back in Singapore? It's down to situations like this, I suppose, that one makes decisions with binary responses. Well, not sure what I'll keep and what I'll trash in the end, but a large part will be gone. Cleaning out my things, but also cleaning out my memories, I guess.

I foresee a huge disruption to my life when I return from the States, so I better plan for this disruption while I still can, even if it's just superficial. Of course, I wish things could be status quo, but unfortunately life is not stagnant and in order to cope one needs to move on no matter what... I guess that's what people call survival. Do we live life, or do we survive? I am too tired to rebel, to be obstinate, even though ironically I may be in a position to do so. Am I just passive and resigned to fate, I wonder. But what's the point of insisting on my ways? That would make me seem heartless, unfeeling, maybe even cruel. And I hate to be like that.

Well, can't wait for the departure day to arrive (but not before I have done my clearing up and preparations). Perhaps my mind will be clearer when I get away from it all, even if it is temporary.

Durian, Gym, Music

I have rekindled my affair with durians. Ooh, the sweet, creamy flesh that is so tasty, so succulent, and leaves a strong but desirable aftertaste (and smell). It is simply delicious! So what if some of it smells more like flatulent emissions (hello Nahadis!)? It just adds to the authenticity and allure. Think I've eaten enough durian to last me till I return from Michigan. Ooh, yummy.

Anyway, will finally be hitting the gym, after a hiatus of like 3 weeks. If it were 2 years ago, I would not have given a damn, but nowadays, somehow I need to exercise frequently, if only to slow down the aging process, haha. Actually, I would like to gain more weight. Still find myself too skinny for my own good. Can't imagine the huge pieces of luggage that I'm going to lug to Ann Arbor in a few weeks' time. Hope I won't topple over.

Now trying to decide what kind of music I should bring over to the States. Still cannot bring myself to buy an iPod or other mp3 player. should just continue to take part in contests, to see if I can win one last minute haha. In the meantime, will need to pick and choose the CDs I want to bring over. (How many? 20? 30? 50?)

Been listening to: Linkin Park (Minutes to Midnight) ---- in the car.

All about songs

I am aging. I found that I have somewhat lost interest in a lot of the new music that is out these days. I only listen to the goldies radio station, and occasionally class 95. I get excited when a familiar favourite comes on air, and the best part is very often I can remember the lyrics and tune, and sing along.

The only regret is that the indie songs I love so much never saw the light of day on the radio during their time, and I am simply too lazy to dig out those treasured CDs which I have to listen to them again, so somehow they have been banished to one corner of my mind. Why is this so? I have no idea. Kind of sad.... Well, maybe when I go to the States and start missing home, I will crave for these songs. Think I better bring some of them CDs over to the States.

Current retro list that I wish to listen to:

1. No Myth (Michael Penn)
2. Fast Cars (Tracy Chapman)
3. Fall At Your Feet (Crowded House)
4. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) (Pet Shop Boys)
5. Superwoman (Karyn White)
6. Your Baby Never Looked Good In Blue (Exposé)
7. Stay Together (Suede)
8. You've Got A Friend (James Taylor)

Hmm... only 1 indie song here, what a sad sad situation.

Actually, I would be satisfied with just listening to the Crowded House greatest hits. Okay, definitely going to bring that to USA. I need some good old ozzie tunes!

Photos

Finally downloaded photographs of my various outings for this year onto my computer. I am really quite a procrastinator..... but then again, the past few months have been kind of tough. Glad to have the support of many.


Some random trigger-happy pics to show here.


Sculpture at Bailuzhou Park, Xiamen (Apr 07)

Flower bed at Bailuzhou Park, Xiamen (Apr 07)

Nanputuo Temple, Xiamen (Apr 07)

National Stadium (Jul 07)
Fireworks at stadium (Jul 07)
More fireworks at stadium (Jul 07)

Reflection of a Sun-day

Another sunday. another boring sunday. I never like sundays. I cannot see what's so sunny about it. I certainly prefer Fridays, or even Saturdays. But that's another story.

Frankly, I don't know where all my Sundays of my past 30 years have gone to. Not that I really care, actually. But still, if you consider the number of hours involved (approximately 30 X 52 X 24), that makes up to 37440 hours. What has come out of the 37 440 hours gone by? Makes me wonder...

The seven days of the week in French are lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. Notice something? Sunday's different from the rest. In my opinion, it should be called soleildi (Soleil = Sun in French). At least it makes more sense?

Was trying to watch some performances of Live Earth on the telly since last night. Don't wish to sound sceptical or even cynical, but I still cannot see the point in having all the concerts, to remind people to save the earth. Some of the performances by the artistes don't even remotely carry the "save the earth" message. For example, scantily clad PCD wearing next to nothing singing on stage. What's the message? Use less cloth for your clothing so as not to deplete resources?

The slogan for this event is Answer the call. Indeed. "Moshi moshi? Oh, sorry, salah number."

Hair issues

I look like a toilet brush. Or rather, my head. This morning, as I looked in the mirror when I brushed my teeth, the visual impact hit me mercilessly.

Always hate this stage of hair growth on my head, the neither long nor short stage. I really like short short hair cuts, but as it grows, this is the stage that makes it look totally unflattering.

It is often at this point in time that I get an urge to go cut my hair again, just so to remove the sanitation implement resemblance. But , quite a waste of money, huh....

I look like a toilet brush.

Speculation

Just returned from the airport. Missy flew to Sydney today, to continue with her work and study. Really fast how time flies.... still remember the time when I visited her during her first year there. Now it seems very far away.

Anyway, back to the USA thing. How do I feel today? Similar to yesterday I guess. Will be getting my visa in another 12 hours' time or so, somehow things are all falling into place. And to think just a few weeks ago I was still wondering if the States would be a reality after all! All the hassle I had to go through, at the end of the day it's much ado about nothing, really. Histrionics...

A friend told me recently that when I go to the States eventually, what I'll miss, besides my family and friends, would be the food in Singapore. Yes. I seem to concur. Being wanting in the gastronomic department would certainly been a sore point for a while I'm sure. But I suppose that just needs a bit of getting used to. I'd probably cook most meals myself, so I'll use ingredients that are so called "familiar" to me. Palatable, at the very least.

Family members have been discussing the possibility of visiting me while I'm in Ann Arbor. The thing is, I'm kind of in two minds about this. Of course, it would be really nice to have your clan over for a visit, just so to see them and for them to see you. But the airfare alone is obscenely expensive, and I really wonder if it's worth it for them to spend so much, and sit through almost 24 hours of flight time, just to pay me a visit for a few days. Really in a dilemma there.

Some friends have also mentioned their wanting to visit me while I'm there. So sweet of them. These days we are all so caught up with our own lives and work, that the thought of pals taking out their time to go faraway to visit you warms one's heart very much. Would be nice to have them over, for sure.

How strange, I'm not even in the US yet, and I'm already thinking about people visiting me there. Frankly though, I have no idea at all how I will adapt to the life there. But I suppose I will be alright. Anyway, I'm used to travelling alone. Far. Of course, this time round it's for a protracted period, plus I'm going for studies, not simply a holiday (or depending how you see it, I guess. Studying can be fun. And I think it is fun.) .

But I'm a big boy I suppose, I should be able to handle.

For want of a better name.

Finally, created my new blog.

This will be my channel for communicating with everyone back in Singapore while I'm in USA.

Yes, people, in case you have not realised, Mr Lim, or Ah Boy, or James, is visiting Uncle Sam. For a year.

So I'm creating this blog ahead of my departure, so it saves me the trouble of creating one while I'm there.

Frankly, I still find this idea of going to the States rather surreal. Not that I'm really excited actually. I think the last time I considered studying in the US was maybe 10 years ago? But even then, it was more of a fleeting thought. Thought of it mainly because I had to take the SAT with my classmates. Still remember those days spent in the HCJC library, poring over the vocabulary of the verbal section, most of which made little sense to me. (My England is fairly powderful I guess, but not that powderful.) Going to the States is definitely a far-fetched concept to me, even up till today.

Anyway, what do I make of my upcoming trip? I also dunno....